The Book of Lost Names

In a world so chaotic, “The Book of Lost Names” by Kristin Harmel reminded me of how much we can control our own destinies.

“The Book of Lost Names” Summary

In 2005, Eva Traube Abrams is an elderly librarian who refuses to retire despite the fact that her colleagues don’t understand why she is still working at her advanced age. She was in the middle of her shift at the library when she saw an article about an old religious book (“Epitres et Evangiles”) she used to own before World War II. An old German librarian was trying to reunite books stolen by the Nazis during the war with their rightful owners.

Eva’s memories are triggered by the old text, and she immediately buys a plane ticket to Berlin to retrieve her book. Even though it was old, the importance of the text was due to a secret code it contained, a code known only to Eva herself, a code no one had been able to crack since.

Though you wouldn’t expect it, her story actually starts in 1942 when she was a student in Paris. Half of France was occupied by the Germans at the time, and Jews were starting to get arrested and sent to concentration camps. She had been born in France and wasn’t initially worried for herself, but her parents were Jewish immigrants from Poland. Sadly, nothing mattered for the Nazis: a Jewish student friend warned her about the fact that they were all soon to be arrested. By pure luck, she and her mother manage to escape Paris, while her father is detained and sent to Auschwitz.

Their plan is to flee France and get to Switzerland, where they can wait for her father.

“The Book of Lost Names” Summary with a Few Spoilers

Eva and her mother travel to Aurignon, a small town in the unoccupied part of France, find a host there, and Eva starts helping the French resistance. She turns out to be an expert document forger.

Along with Remi, a chemist and forger as well, she was falsifying documents that helped Jews cross the border to Switzerland. The resistance network was guided by Pere Clement, a catholic priest and managed to hide even small children with families from that small town up until the point they were able to flee.

It all goes well for many months, up until the point when someone in the resistance movement deconspires the whole forgery network.

“The Book of Lost Names” Review

Sad, but hopeful. Tragic, but inspiring. Gripping, yet tender.

The brutality and injustice of war contrast deeply with the beautiful story of Eva and Remi’s love and courage in the face of it.

The loss Eva feels is lightened by the legacy she leaves behind with her selfless actions.

All throughout the book, her faith in God doesn’t waver. She is humbled by his plan with her – she had studied English in school, yet practiced dilligently her artistic natural talents, even though she didn’t care about them so much. In the end, her painting skills helped her become a forger and, in turn, help many others.

The way the writer thought out this destiny for her gave so many “connecting the dots” vibes. I loved it!

The relationship with her mother is strained. The two don’t get along at all as her mother can’t cope with the loss of her husband, the fear of her daughter abandoning her too, the fear of being erased from history, forever hiding their beliefs. All the while, Eva finds herself a purpose in the resistance network and perceives her mother’s behaviour as selfish.

The author Kristin Harmel manages to stir all emotions possible, and captures relationships and traumas in a realistic way. I liked everything about it. It was the perfect blend of personal story and historical facts. It managed to transport me to that exact period, with all its terrors, fears, and hunger. I lived them all, along with the characters.

The way Eva is torn in her beliefs, her guilt and her relentless hope and courage made for a gripping read. When is helping others too much? When should you stop and help your own family instead? What is worth risking your life? Hopefully, some questions we’ll never have to face…

Conclusion

“The Book of Lost Names” by Kristin Harmel is a wonderful historical fiction to get lost in for a few hours. You’ll come out a better person.

You can find the book on Goodreads here:

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